tabuno

This fantasy thriller featuring a young maiden distinguishes itself using a plot outline that uses the traditional dragon mythology but with a powerful difference - that of its emotional and authentic resonance. This is definitely no Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) with her dazzling display of swashbuckling nor even of the magic found in Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone (2001). Instead the audience gets offered glimpses of an adventure from The Journey To The Center Of The Earth (1959) and even an element from the original Star Trek television series (1966) Season 1, Episode 18 - Arena. What impresses most is the seriousness of this darker version of How To Train Your Dragon (2010) with no cuddly nor cute dragon or the superheroine like Black Widow (2021). Instead surprisingly somewhat predictable fantasy is how it treats its material and the behavior of both the fair maiden, Elodie, and the deadly dragon. This movie has great captivating pacing, energetic action, a much more reasonable script than most, and an ending that allows for some reflective internal guilty pleasure.

This intense and visceral horror film about the dangerous and obviously seductive succubus (a female demon that preys on men) takes its material seriously. It is a slow burn of authentic plot design that portrays an estranged husband whose descent into terror is believable and realistic. This sinister movie has a credible message about temptation and its consequences using even some echoes from films such as John Cusack's superior occult horror 1408 (2007) and as well as his bizarre role in the highly rated Being John Malkovich (1999). The low IMDb rating could be attributable to the overall creepy and insidious nature of the succubus as depicted in this movie which would repulse women and terrify men. However, this movie by its end has both a bitter yet sweet ending of sorts and the excellent special effects and the creeping horror of its believable plot outline is worth remembering for anyone who lives on the edge of instability and wanton desire.

If one expects something really scary, this movie while it has a nice theme and reveal to it just doesn't have that satisfying bite at the end to make the movie worthwhile. The acting is decent enough and the explicit procedural process of an autopsy is intriguing enough, but there just isn't any further creative excitement that the movie offers. It ends as most horror movies do. The script, continuity, pacing, and mystery are adequate until midway through the movie but on the whole there isn't a lot of redeeming returns for the time and effort spent in watching the movie. If the ending could have been tweaked in the direction that the later scenes suggested, the movie might have had some credibility. Perhaps it might be only a personal preference but Silent Hill (2006) have 1408 (2007) have the creepy visions and plot twists that capture the haunting sense of emotional horror. This later movie just fails to add to the accumulating pile horror movies.